Hong Kong Tiananmen vigil organizers convicted of subversion

Hong Kong's decades-old Tiananmen Square crackdown vigil has been effectively silenced with the conviction of two former organizers on charges of inciting subversion. Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, once leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were found guilty under the national security law imposed by Beijing.

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Justice lives in the hearts of the people. There is no need to look up to this kind of top-down ruling, and one verdict doesn't matter much.

The alliance itself was also convicted. For 30 years, the vigil was the only large-scale public commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in China, drawing tens of thousands annually. The event was banned in 2020, shortly before the national security law was enacted to quell massive anti-government protests.

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ending one-party rule

Prosecutors argued the case was not political, focusing on the alliance's demand to "end one-party rule" as incitement to overthrow China's leadership. However, Lee contended this call was for democracy, not an end to the Communist Party's leadership. Chow, defending herself, stated "ending one-party rule" meant ending unrestricted power and criticized the trial's inversion of right and wrong.

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ending one-party rule meant ending a state where power was unrestricted.

Chow described her harsh treatment in prison, being shackled and walked "like a dog." She asserted that justice resides in people's hearts and that a single verdict holds little significance. The trial concluded faster than anticipated, with another defendant, Albert Ho, having already pleaded guilty.

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the Communist Party should not enforce "dictatorship".